A Future not so Bright
by Ashna
Summary: In a world damaged and changed by genetic technology Ken tries to keep his place in society while Yamato sets out to change his own sad story. Yaoi, Drugs, prostitution, Kenkeru, Tamato more details in forenotes.


My muse maybe back but he's on part time. Maybe this will jup start im.

So here's the deal. This fic is my attempt at a serious topic after ages of nothing worth reading. Hope I can live up to my old standards.

Pairings: Right now? Kenkeru. In future? Kensuke, Taimato and Daikeru.

Rating: For now pg13. Later will be R.

Warning: Drug use, prostitution, rape, black mail, poverty, a society gone to the dogs... Erm yeah.

Archive? Please?

I don't own them. Enough said.

Music listening to: Major Tom, David Bowie... Every now and then switching to Ziggy Stardust.

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Yamato stood before the ruined housing block were fire had raged. Fire was rare here in Tokyo II.XII.VXIII . The city long turned over into separate units. Cut off from the outside world that had grown too toxic to breathe the air, too hot to live in. This dirty little area of Tokyo had long been the black sheep of all the units. Where the poor, desolate and decrepit went when they over stayed their welcome else where. 

Here was were he and his father had lived. His father had lost his job, his stature when it came apparent that his genetic code was faulty. He drank, smoked and spent less time at work. Yamato's mother had discovered this. She had been disgusted and threatened divorce. Threatened to take away Yamato and Takeru. His father had been horrified. To take away someone's child was considered the worst thing you could do to somebody in this age of genetic perfection. Where your status was determined on how much you'd been tweeked by the scientists.

So he'd ran. Grabbed what he could and ran. What he could turned out to be Yamato. Younger siblings were merely document to a families wealth. They could afford the genetic work required for a second child. It was the first child that mattered.

He'd come here where the air smelled dirty and the ground was covered in a slight layer of dust and sand. The filters the kept the air clear and clean in other units was breaking down here. No one cared enough to fix them either. Should the entire population of 12 million die. That was 12 million less the government had to feed.

He'd grown up here. In the dirty air and the run down old apartment. Watching with large eyes as his father drank and brought home whores. He had trouble at first adjusting. A child as finely tuned as he was had been protected. Sheltered from the horrors of this over crowded and ruined world. 

Then his father had fallen asleep, the drugs that he'd taken a liking to in recent months still smoldering on the old gas stove. They were illegal for a reason. The entire apartment block caught fire. In fact the entire block caught fire. 1,000 or so lives were lost. Lucky for Yamato he'd been working that night. Far away from the nightmare he called home in the nightmare he worked in.

With a sigh he turned away from memories he didn't care to relive. It was pointless coming back here he knew. There was nothing here for him in the old smell of smoke that still lingered. No... There was something. Here in this place he had remembered something that flitted at the edges of his memory. Of a warm woman and a small pink baby who already knew his name. Of classes with other children. Of brightness and learning and knowing you could do Anything you put your mind to. No restrictions. No troubles.

They were slightly blurred and unfocused from time. But he remembered. He could not forget. That was what kept him living. That maybe he could get back to that place. Despite the years that flew by in misery. That he could go back.

"Hey Yamato! Waz up my friend?" A cheerful voice called from across the street.

Yamato turned around to smile an odd half smile at the cheerful boy on a bike, a similar boy though younger wisking through the air on a hover board above him. Daisuke and Taichi were patrol cops. Still young they're job was to point out the problem areas to older cops. The similarities in their genetic code were evident in the dark skin and wild brown hair both sprouted.

"Taichi, Daisuke." Yamato nodded.

He knew the two well. He was blonde, blue eyed and slight from growing up in the dirty air. People trusted him. He didn't look smart. So he'd act the simpleton and manage to get information out of the gangs, the pimps, the drug dealers. Or was bait. He worked well as bait. He could get himself out of any situation on his brains alone. Daisuke and Taichi often acted as go betweens or even went with him when going alone would be too dangerous.

"The commander says he's got another job for you Yamato. This time it's going to be long term and very, very dangerous." Taichi said his normally cheerful confidence wavering.

Yamato was instantly alert. The cops had their code altered so they could deal with the pressures of their job easily. Not much disturbed or even great worried them. They were the ultimate gung ho boys. For something to worry Taichi it Had to be bad.

"What's involved?" He asked quietly moving closer to the two. Daisuke had set down and looked sombre. Another warning.

"Xenthels..." Taichi said chewing on his lower lip looking for all the world as if he'd just eaten something sour.

Xenthels were more dangerous then any gang member, pimp or drug on the streets. Another side effect from the early days of genetic engineering was the emergence of telepaths. But the human mind hadn't evolved far enough to handle such abilities. The results were Xenthels. Barely human anymore they'd been drained of their very souls as the telepath desperately tried to stem off their own demise. A kind of physic vampire they were greatly feared by the homeless and anyone who worked the street.

"What? I thought there hadn't been a telepath in this area for at least five months? You guys caught the last one!" Yamato gasped stepping back a bit in surprise. Being one of those street workers he was doubly vulnerable to attacks.

"And I haven't heard of any attacks!!!"

Taichi sighed and looked away while Daisuke seemed unsure. Then Yamato realized it more the fact that this telepath had somehow escaped the cops notice. They hated failure and when that failure meant somebody got hurt they hated it even more.

"That's because they're not attacking people randomly. They're all drug addicts and they're all going in willingly to the telepaths." Daisuke said as Taichi nodded unhappily.

"So they're paying the druggies for bits of their brain?" Yamato said more then asked.

Both boys nodded and Yamato felt sick. He could understand selling yourself for money, he did it himself after all. Sometimes when the weather outside the units dropped to somewhere well beyond freezing at night, chilling the inside or when the slowly turning red dwarf sun burned against the earths atmosphere you couldn't take merely squeezing past. You needed water, you need shelter, you needed something to take the edge off reality. But selling your mind? Your soul? It sent shivers down his spine. No one should have to get that desperate.

"Okay so what do your people think "I" can do?" 

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Ken sighed as he watched the clouds of sulphuric acid and other such nastyness float by the enforced shielded window. The swirling clouds would soon burn away from the glaring heat of the sun and the windows would shut long before that happened to protect the Units citizens eyes from exposure.

Still it was more interesting to watch then the boring lecture of his class. He had enjoyed school greatly up until now. The classes interesting and varied. Going home and studying with his bother and knowing He was important. Then this year came. It was always greatly anticipated. This year was the one were they decided your career. Where your mind would do the most good. This year the classes got harder. For Ken they got too hard.

Osamu had told him it was okay. That he was just nervous and soon he'd get the hang of things. He wasn't. Things were just too hard. He didn't understand the complex equations and situations they were asked to analyze, solve and compute. Nothing made sense.

Everyone else grasped the tasks with eager little minds and gloried in the learning. Ken sat near the window and wished himself outside. Then maybe he wouldn't have to sit here through this torture. He'd be dead and then wouldn't have to worry now would he? Every moment here came closer to being found out. Something had gone wrong. He wasn't as smart as everyone else. He was defective. He shouldn't be here and he Couldn't let it happen. There had to be some way to fix things. If there was he'd find it.

~~~~~~~~~~

Ken stayed close to the walls and populated areas of the unit. The air smelled bad here and dust covered everything. He'd have to change and wash before heading home or else someone would know he'd been here. 

After weeks of searching and worrying he'd discovered on line a drug that increased IQ. It was rare and very expensive. He didn't care how expensive as long as he could get it. As long as he could keep up. As long as he could stay were he was. The girl he'd talked to said to meet her in this unit. One of the older and smaller units it was jamed with people who looked like they hadn't bathed in weeks. Not only did the air smell the people did too.

Looking around he searched for the girl. Hoping she hadn't pulled his chain. Hoping this would be his chance. There! The girl with purple hair and... Glasses. Also defective it seemed. She was tall, another defect and loud. But her slightly glazed eyes were sharp. She was smart. Very, very smart. Ken knew she hadn't lied.

"Well hello stranger. Your pen name was Kaiser right? Well the dealer is just a few blocks away. You got the money right? Don't worry I wont mug you or anything. Well come on what are you waiting for lets go!" She said excitedly and walked off at a brisk pace.

People melted before her as her confident stride announced someone who could deal for themselves. Ken followed behind. Silent and dark in his school uniform. He may have been an outsider but his brooding manner lent him respect as well.

The building she led him to was as old as the unit if not older. Run down with screaming children and women shouting at each other. A drunken man sat against the wall by the door, cat calling to girls and boys as they walked by.  
The girl gave him a kick as he reached out towards her and Ken. He just smiled with crooked teeth calling her a lusty wench.

Shaking his head he followed the girl inside the rank building.  
She turned to the first door and simply walked in. A simple room with a couch, a dresser and a dirty mattress on the floor. Nothing else. A stocky man who was almost decently clean sat on the couch reading a porno magazine. Ken ignored the pictures which looked as though none of the models reached the age of 17.

"I got you a knew customer for Kaline." The girl said walked to the dresser which held several small vials of a slightly yellow brown power in them. She grabed one and put her money on the desk. Motioning Ken over she gestured to the vials.

"Pick one Kaiser. Or if you got enough two or three! Your a rich kid you can probably handle a few months supply." She grinned.

Ken didn't reply her comments except to pick up three of the vials, putting down the money. It had drained his account but he thought it worth it. He stuffed them in his pocket and turned around to face the man on the couch who was chuckling.

"Welcome to the business boy. I'm sure I'll enjoy your visits. The price is always the same, only come on thursdays and no talking about this place to anybody. You can tell them about the drug but do things like Miyako here. Got that?" The man said looking Ken over in a way that made his skin crawl.

He nodded then walked out. Not wanting to be around the man any longer. The now named Miyako stayed behind and Ken didn't want to know why. The amount of money she'd put on the table had been considerably less then the amount he'd been told.

~~~~~~~~~~

By the time he got back his parents were asleep, Osamu was in his room studying. Ken crept quietly into his own room and latched the door. He'd learned on-line that powered substances like these could be taken several ways. Most didn't have the technology for the most effective way but he did. Directly into the blood but without breaking the skin And distributing it slowly so your system wasn't over loaded, making your heart stop.

He loaded the device and attached it to his wrist. The drug would take several hours to become effective with this method but it would work. So slipping on his pj's he crawled into bed and hoped for the best.

His rest had been fitful as the drug sped up his blood despite the precautions. He felt sleepy and irritable when he woke up. Grumbling he slowly sat up, rubbing at his eyes. His head was pounding with the biggest headache he'd ever had. The only headache he'd had in fact. He glared at the door as it opened and Osamu already fully dressed poked his head into the room.

"Ken, what are you doing still in bed? School starts in twenty minutes!" He said surprised.

Ken glanced at his clock and realised he Had slept in. Cursing he jumped out of bed ignoring the pounding in his scull. Osamu gave him a small smile then disappeared as Ken hurried to find his uniform. He didn't think he'd remembered to clean it last night and it was lightly covered with yellow dust. Instead he grabbed his uniform for last year. It was slightly too small and the jacket had gotten ripped but he didn't need the coat. 

Despite this panicked race he was still late. The halls were empty and he felt a certain amount of dread. No one was Ever late. With his grades being what they were this tardiness was sure to be noticed.

*Damn damn damn damn!!!*

With a growing feeling of dread he slipped into the class room hoping against hope he wouldn't be noticed. All eyes turned to him as the door shut gently behind him. He looked at the floor unsure of what else to do. The teacher looked sternly in his direction as he sat down.

"Ichijouji, I am very disappointed in you. With your grades being what they are I am beginning to suspect you do not belong in this level of schooling, despite what your genetic background says."

Ken sunk into his chair at these words. He was for sure through now. The other students gave him doubtful looks, not wanting to be mean but despising the though of someone unworthy of their attention sharing classes with them.

"I'll give you one last chance. This could be a result of nerves. It has happened before. I have a review of the last five months work on my desk. Please take that out into the hall. You have an hour to complete it. Should you get less then 100% it will be then it is apparent you are defective. There is also an extra section with instructions, to maintain this level of school you shall have to achieve a minimum of 80% on that as well." She said sternly.

Ken nodded and rose to grab the sheets. He ignored the rest of the class and was happy to reach the silence of the empty halls instead of the silence of a room full of people. Sitting down on a bench he closed his eyes against the still throbbing headache. Then opened again to the pages before him.

Two hours later he was sitting back at his seat in the class while the teacher smiled happily at him. The rest of the class much more relaxed then before.

"It seems Ichijouji all you had was a case of the nerves. You finished the test with exceptional ability. In fact you did better then Takeru. Sorry to have doubted you. Now how about we get back on track class?" The teacher went back to the 3D slides she was showing.

Takeru grinned at Ken from his seat beside him and gave him a thumbs up. Ken smiled back and went back to paying attention. The test had been incredibly easy to him. Everything that had refused to compute now flowed easily through his mind. The lesson now was just as easy. The drug had worked it's magic. He could keep up with school work and not have to worry about making it ever again. As long as he had that drug everything would be fine.

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Several weeks later found Ken at the top of his class. He's figured out the perfect dose of the drug to keep him going. The only down side was he constantly had a headache. He found himself getting irritated with things he normally enjoyed even. The vids he used to watch with his family caused his headache to worsen so he stopped watching. Besides he was busy with homework.

Takeru who was second in place was now his lab partner and came over often. He didn't find the blonde as irritating as some. He was intelligent enough to be able to stand. His brother was as well but he and Osamu didn't converse much. His parents had driven a riff between the two boys with the extra attention Osamu got for being oldest.

Right now he was at home with Takeru working on the project they'd been given. Both had been deemed more suited to invention. Ken for his new idea's and Takeru for his ability to grasp the new concepts and help to build them up. They made a good team.

Ken was feeling rather annoyed though. They'd been at this particular part of the project for hours. It was leading well into the early hours of the night and Ken needed to take another dose of the drug. He felt tired, irritable and wanted Takeru leave right away. He couldn't stop glancing towards his drawer were he kept his supplies.

"So Ken how does this look? I think I understand what you were saying before but I just want to make sure I got the concepts down properly... Ken?" Takeru asked reaching out to shake his shoulder.

Ken started and jumped back a bit making Takeru blink in surprise.

"Ken are you okay? You were just staring off into space." Takeru asked worried.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I'm tired could you go?"Ken said shortly not bothering to be polite. He was tired of waiting.

Takeru gave him an odd look but nodded anyways and packed up his things. He waved goodbye and began to walk to the lift. He was beginning to wonder if Ken Was defective in some way. No one he knew was this erratic. Oh well time would tell.

Ken didn't wait long for Takeru to leave. He locked his door quietly then ran back to his drawer. He loaded the injection device and stared at it a few moments. His hands were shaking and his vision was slightly blurred.

*Must be withdrawal... I took to long to take any... I guess I'll have to stock up early then when I just run out... I can't sleep like this. This is too slow.*

He tripled the dose knowing it would act more like a shot now then the slow release he'd been doing before. The effects would be virtually instantaneous. Wrapping the divice around his wrist he crawled fully clothed into bed and waited, shaking for it to take effect.  
  
He wasn't expecting what happened. It felt like somebody had just hit his skull with a sledgehammer. His vision blackened until the light of his alarm was the only thing he could see. It was a tiny red light that looked very very far away. He was vaguely aware of being curled up in a ball on his bed as the headache rocked through his head. His hands and feet twitched with reaction and his heart beat horribly fast. 

Then as the device released yet more of the drug unto his system slowly his vision slowly faded into nothing and his body relaxed despite his quickly beating heart.

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Okay enough of that. I was going to go on but I think this is fine. It's a good place to end the chapter right? 


End file.
